Bolton get battered, everywhere they go…

A season to forget for the Trotters, which included another five-goal drubbing in SK3

May 17, 2025

Saturday 17 May 2025

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Bolton supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Saturday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

The title on today’s article is one I’ve already used this season. (Click here for the first time.) As the editor of a football website, that’s unbelievably lazy on my part, showing a complete lack of effort and creativity. But… in my defence… while Bolton keep conceding five goals at Edgeley Park, I’m gonna have to keep using it!

The Trotters were only one point off the play-offs after their 5-0 defeat at Edgeley Park in November – and again just one point adrift after County won at the Toughshit in March – but they finished the season ten points off the top six. A frustrating campaign in BL6, as author and Bolton fan Chris Evans explains.

As you can see from the photos above, I was at Edgeley Park for the visit of Bolton in November. I was also one of the 2,638 Hatters going berserk in the away end at the Toughshit in March when Tanto scored his goal of the season contender. In fact, for the first time in my life, I’ve been to every single County game this season – all 56 of them! I’ve written a book about my adventures this season. If you’d like to support the publication by having your name printed in the book (along with a signed copy and a ticket to the book launch) drop me an email.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Wolf Distribution. A big thank you to Aaron. If you run a business in Cheshire or Greater Manchester and you’re looking to generate more leads or sales, give him a call on 0161 241 8877 or email aaron@wolfdistribution.co.uk. Prices start at just £45 per 1,000 leaflets delivered.

Thanks also to Luke and Hannah at LBL Roofing & Building Ltd who sponsor our Bolton Wanderers content on the website.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 253.75 miles

Total steps so far: 418,084

Total raised so far: £2,312

Total completed streets so far: 474 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

Leave a comment

Odin Bailey scored County’s fifth goal against Bolton in November (Photo courtesy of Mike Petch)

Best moment of 2024-25?

Not been too many to choose from. Beating Birmingham at home was probably the best performance, but it has to be the late winner at Wigan. We have been awful in derby games recently (as you know all too well) so to finally win one in front of 4,200 away fans in the last minute was a sweet moment.

Worst moment of 2024-25?

Wow, there could be an entire book here. The comical 4-0 loss at home to Huddersfield was bad, watching players simply give up. Rotherham away, possibly the worst performance of the season. For me, the worst moments of the season were having to listen to Ian Evatt make excuse after excuse, knowing that the season was slipping away. Each time we were thumped, you expected him to be sacked, yet all you got were arrogant soundbites about how he was going nowhere. The lowest point was when everyone thought he was finally gone only for the chairman to come out and back him. Crowds began to drop, fans began to argue.

Funniest moment of 2024-25?

Honestly struggling with this one. Probably the Twitter spat between half of our fanbase and the wife of defender Ricardo Santos who decided to wind up the critical voices by thanking them for filling up her fridge by paying his inflated wages. Signalled the beginning of the end for the former fan favourite who then seemed to fake injury to avoid playing for the rest of the season until his contract ran out.

The Birmingham Boasters and the Wrexham Wazzocks seem to have annoyed a lot of fans in League One this season. Which one are you most glad to see the back of?

If, by some miracle, we change the squad en masse and have a chance of promotion, it’ll be good to see the back of Birmingham who clearly can outspend everyone.

Reform have been making a lot of noise recently. Based on this season, what’s in most need of reform at Bolton, on or off the pitch?

Where do you start? Very few of the squad are good enough. The effort and attitude of most is bad. The fact that all of the out of contract players were let go tells you everything. If we could, we should probably get rid of the lot and start again. Sadly, that can't happen. Hopefully a few can be shipped out. At the very least, we need a couple of central defenders who can defend crosses. We need wingers, if we’re finally going to stop this awful tippy tappy football. We need some steel in midfield (we currently have none). And we need a proper target man.

Four Four Two had you down to finish 2nd, EFL pundit Gabriel Sutton thought you’d finish 2nd, while the Opta supercomputer predicted you’d be 1st. You finished 8th. Discuss.

We finished top six last year but from January the reality was that we were mid-table on form. We spent money in the summer and many were optimistic but we all knew that the side was mentally fragile so a good start was required. Five games in, we’d seen five awful performances, had four points (three of which came from goalkeeper error) and most fans knew that it was going to be a long season.

The change that needed to happen in the summer was the manager, but the board doubled down and signed a bunch of players, most of whom have the wrong attitude and skillset. With many of them on long contracts, it’s a long way back. When Evatt finally went, we took too long to get a replacement. Schumacher had no time to bring in his players. So far, he’s made the right noises, but the performances have been just as bad as those under Evatt. I'm not convinced, but he at least needs the window to bring in his own players before we can judge him.

County 5 Bolton 0 in November. Bolton 0 County 1 in March. Thoughts?

This was going to be my 'worst moment of the season' but given that there is a specific question about these games, I'll summarise here. Being totally outclassed in skill and desire away at Edgeley Park was about as bad as it can get. We’d been given a smaller than usual allocation so plenty of us ended up sat in the home end, so as every goal went in, there were cheering people all around. It was probably the moment we realised that previous results were not just blips and the season was going nowhere.

The home game was another one that reminded us just how bad we are. We’d been on a decent run in the lead up to the game. We’d thrashed runaway leaders Birmingham and talk had been about catching the top two. However, four days before your visit we’d gone back to type with a 3-2 loss at Bristol Rovers. The fragility of the players returned and we inevitably succumbed to a late winner. There wasn't much between Bolton and County, but the fact we lost a close game again truly deflated recent hope and started the worrying decline as we moved towards the end of the season.

Best and worst away days of 2024-25?

Despite the 5-0 loss, Stockport away is a great day out. As a fan of real ale and pubs in general, the town offers a huge choice. Particular favourites were The Wellington and The Alexandra.

Lincoln is another that falls into the same category. Great pub crawl in the shadow of the cathedral, but a dire 90 minutes in between ales.

Which Bolton player is most deserving of his couple of weeks on the beach this summer?

Aaron Morley. One of the players who fell out with Ian Evatt, he was shipped out to Wycombe on loan where he became a star man. He then came back to pick up our players’ player of the year award. Tells you everything about Evatt when he gets rid of one of his hardest working players, probably because he dared question failing tactics.

Never mind Welcome to Wrexham on Disney+, a TV production company have just made Bolton Wanderers: The Story of 2024-25. Which channel would it be most suited for?

Comedy Central.

And finally, apologies for darkening the mood, but you’ve only got 30 seconds to live. Putin’s pressed the red button and we’re all about to die. You can have one last moment of pleasure, watching a single Bolton goal from this season. What you sticking on?

I wouldn't. I’d find a goal from the Bruce Rioch era. When we had players who fought for the shirt.

➡️ Any Bolton fans joining us today? As stated above, I’ve written a book having watched every County game home and away this season. There’s obviously two big chapters on Bolton included (home and away). Also, as I celebrated my 40th birthday this season, I’ve written about my four decades as a County fan as well, which I’m hoping will be an enjoyable read for anyone who supports a lower league club. There’s memories of beating four Premier League clubs as County reached the Coca-Cola Cup semi-finals in 1996-97, the club’s rise from the National League North to the brink of the Championship over the last few years, and the tale of a trip to Blackpool 20 years ago when me and my mates had a run-in with armed police after a day on the ale…

If you’d like to support the book, click on the link below to become a paid subscriber and I’ll post you a signed copy with your name printed inside once it’s published.

A few words from Aaron at Wolf Distribution

At Wolf Distribution we pride ourselves on team ethos and promote a strong team culture, with many of our team members meeting up outside of work and forming bonds. We see our fellow wolves as an extended family – where one wolf grows we all grow collectively. With us, not one wolf is left behind and we share our victories. That is one of our magic recipes for delivering successful campaigns time and time again. Drop me a message to see why we are the best when it comes to leaflet distribution!

➡️ Visit wolfdistribution.co.uk for further details.

Photo of the day

The Old Three Crowns, Bolton

The Stockport Sippers Society enjoyed a good pub crawl in Bolton after County’s 1-0 victory in March.

LBL Roofing & Building

Any Bolton fans (or indeed, any County fans living in that neck of the woods) joining us today? If you need any roofing work doing at home, LBL Roofing & Building are dedicated to providing top-notch services with an unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

With extensive experience serving Bolton and the North West, their team of skilled professionals specialise in all aspects of roofing, from minor repairs to complete roof installations. They understand the importance of a durable and reliable roof, which is why they focus on precision, attention to detail, and using the highest quality materials in every project.

Whether you're a homeowner in need of a roof repair or a business requiring a full roof replacement, they offer tailored roofing solutions that are built to last. With LBL Roofing & Building, your roof's integrity is their top priority, ensuring that their work not only meets but exceeds your expectations.

➡️ Visit lblroofingandbuilding.co.uk for further details.

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Three films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. The Penguin Lessons (12A) at 3.00pm, The Accountant 2 (15) at 5.30pm, and Four Mothers (15) at 8.30pm. Click here for tickets.

🍺 Food and drink

All pints £2.50 at The Cross Keys (SK8) from 6pm till 9pm.

A number of venues are featured on The Scarf My Father Wore such as The Crown (SK2), The Alexandra (SK3), The Steelworks (SK6), The Three Tunnes (SK7), Flute & Firkin (SK12) and The Ram’s Head (SK12). Support them this month by popping in for a few drinks and a bite to eat.